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Day 6

Episode 422: Psychedelic drugs and the future of psychiatry

Researchers believe psychedelic drug therapy could help treat everything from PTSD to cigarette addiction. We explore hallucinogens’ transformation from party drugs to potentially revolutionary treatment tools.

Meet the researchers and patients whose lives have been transformed by psychedelic drug research

CBC Radio ·
The Big Trip is a special Day 6 series about psychedelic drugs. (Ben Shannon/CBC)

Welcome back to The Big Trip, our series on psychedelic drugs and the future of psychiatry.

A renaissance in psychedelic drug research is underway.

Around the world, researchers are studying psychedelic drug therapy as a treatment for everything from PTSD and treatment-resistant depression to cigarette addiction.

To date, many of the studies have been preliminary, with small sample sizes.

But experts say MDMA and psilocybin — better known as ecstasy and the key ingredient in magic mushrooms — could be available for prescription use within the next five years.

And mental health advocates and industry players alike are taking notice.

Listen to the radio show above — and check out our special online feature to meet some of the people whose lives have already been transformed by psychedelic drug therapy.